Eye Health Care Getting Clearer and Clearer

Author: Alicia Rybovic, Associate Editor

In-store walk-in clinics are changing
the way that patients receive health
care. Convenient care clinics, based
in retail stores with adjacent pharmacy
services, have flourished recently due
to the demand for affordable, accessible
health care. These clinics benefit both
patients and the health care system by
providing accessibility for patients and
lessening the burden on physicians and
emergency departments; affordability (a
national study reports that retail-based
clinics are 30%-80% less expensive than
other providers); quality care from credentialed
health care providers; and continuity
of care (many
clinics will forward electronic
or paper records
of the patient's visit to
his/her primary care
provider if one has been
established).

In addition to providing
care related to common
ailments, health
screenings, vaccinations, and preventive
care, these clinics offer valuable optometry
services. Data from the National
Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and
the National Hospital Ambulatory
Medical Care Survey found that 12.7%
of all patients who visited a retail clinic
(158,750 individuals) between 2002
and 2005 received care for otitis media
or otitis externa; 4.6% of all patients
(57,500 individuals) had conjunctivitis.
Patients are increasingly realizing that
they may receive treatment and preventive
services for many common health
concerns—including eye care and regular
eye checkups—from convenient
care clinics.

Regular Eye Checkups for All

It is important for all individuals, from
children to senior citizens, to maintain
proper eye health. One in 4 children
may have a vision problem, which may
impact their performance in school, and
1 in 3 seniors may have a vision problem,
such as cataracts, glaucoma, or
macular degeneration, according to the
Vision Council of America. These conditions,
if left untreated, can lead to more
severe complications in the future. For
example, glaucoma, the leading cause
of blindness, affects approximately 2.2
million Americans aged 40 or older, but
an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million
individuals do not know that they have
the disease. Diagnosis
and proper treatment
of this condition are
dependent on regular
eye exams.

Eye care clinics have
grown in recent years;
Wal-Mart, for example,
has greatly expanded
its optometry services
division since opening its first vision
center in Plainfield, Indiana, in 1990.
Prior to his passing in 1992, Sam Walton,
founder of Wal-Mart, saw a need in the
marketplace to provide patients with
affordable, convenient, quality eye care.

Today, independent and Wal-Mart?employed optometrists examine the
internal and external structures of the
eye to diagnose eye diseases such as
glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal disorders;
systemic diseases such as hypertension
and diabetes; and vision conditions
like nearsightedness, farsightedness,
astigmatism, and presbyopia. The
Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Optical Division
sees more than 6 million patients each
year in nearly 3000 locations in 47 states.
Wal-Mart Vision Center and Sam's Club
Optical are the second leading provider
of optical goods (eyeglasses and contact
lenses) in the United States.

Through its Optical Division, Wal-Mart
hopes to educate America on the importance
of an annual preventive eye health
exam. Education on this topic may be
the key to improving eye health across
the United States. According to a recent
American Optometric Association survey,
almost 30% of US adults indicated
that they do not get their eyes checked
by an eye doctor or an eye care specialist
at least every 2 years.

"The important thing about eye care
is prevention. There are many diseases
that are asymptomatic, so we promote
visiting your optometrist every year,"
explained Priti Patel, OD, director of
professional relations of Optical Health
& Wellness at Wal-Mart. She added,
"We can preserve someone's vision
and check for the normal health of the
eyes—there is more to it than glasses
and contacts." Wal-Mart pharmacists
also benefit from having on-site optometrists—when presented with eye health
questions, they can simply refer patients
to the optometry services area.

Convenient Access

Optometry services provided at retail
clinics are sure to grow in the coming
years, thanks to the convenience, affordability,
and quality of care provided.
These clinics make it simple for patients
who are having their prescription filled
or are picking up an OTC medicine also
to see a certified optometrist for an
eye-related problem or regular checkup.
Regular eye checkups are crucial to
maintaining proper eye health and diagnosing
and treating many conditions,
and retail clinics are in a prime position
to provide these services to a wide
range of patients.